Étui Noir

This is like a sweet musky incense stick burning in a dimly lit room paired with a glass of a very fine whiskey. Funnily enough I hate smokey perfumes and I hate the taste of whiskey, but this perfume is just gorgeous. I agree with a reviewer below, this could easily be mistaken for an oud offering, and it is somehwhat reminiscent of guerlain santal royal. When I wore it on myself for the first time I mistakenly thought of oud, but definitely picking up all those warm spices, amber and vanilla. Must be the the wood, leather and smoke combo that causes the confusion. It's very well blended. I can smell the iris in it too. The smoke quality is divine, sexy and mysterious. The fragrance has just the right amount of sweetness. It's alluring and elegant and smells expensive. I would say it's definitely unisex, I love to wear it some days, but would ADORE to smell this on a man too. Sillage is good, for me, arms length is good. Longevity isn't great however, it's amazing for the first hour then begins to wane, and drift in and out. I applied this morning at 7am and once more at 5pm and I can still smell it now, 12am in the evening. Worth it I say. Beautiful and unique.

Read reviews before buying a fragrance, but take them with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own opinion regarding smells. Some people love it. Some people hate it. My advice is for you to get a sample of ANY fragrance before you ever buy it. That way, you can assess it yourself and have your thoughts, rather than strictly going off someone else's thoughts and opinions. I LOVE Etui Noir. It’s a smooth, buttery leather fragrance that smells fantastic. It is a night scent that is great for spring or fall weather or a nighttime event. I would say that it is a unisex fragrance that leans a smidge on the feminine side (emphasis on smidge), but Etui Noir is NOT a unisex fragrance that is overly feminine. I truly do like it, and I recommend it to people who like smooth leathery, floral fragrances that men and women can enjoy. :-)

Wow!! Love at first sniff. Such a beautiful, smooth creation, that is primarily about incense and amber on my skin, especially at the opening. Eventually, I notice the leather, but beyond that, I really can't identify any other notes. I attribute this to masterful blending. It brings to my mind some of the classic oriental fragrances of the 80s, though not any one in particular. I'm debating a FB, but there are others ahead of it. This may end up being one of those perfumes that I purchase multiple samples. The sample size is generous, and you only need 2-4 spritzes to be in a nice scent bubble. Longevity is medium for me, but would likely improve with moisturizer or a primer. I bet it would smell fantastic on my husband!

This is a super-classy, elegant, unisex buttery suede-like leather. There's a perfect amount of incense in the background to "smoke-out" the perfume a little, and the iris comes through stronger on paper/clothes than it does on my skin. On my skin, it's a perfectly round incensey suede, somehow almost-gourmand in its butteriness and richness. Very sexy, perfectly unisex, very cool and effortless. Scent: 10/10 - I bought it within fifteen minutes of smelling it on my skin - also, very linear on my skin (which I personally prefer) Longevity: Full day Projection: Moderate to strong Polarity: Perfectly unisex - could imagine this equally sexy on a man or a woman

I don’t throw the word “masterpiece” around casually, but that’s exactly what this stuff is. Complex, intriguing, unique, and so well blended that every time I smell it I pick up something different - one of the most impressively constructed scents I’ve smelled in years. Considering the quality of this stuff and the price it can be found for, this is a ‘daylight-robbery’ level steal. Mark my words - if this stuff was released by Amouage, people would be absolutely losing their minds over it. Don’t sleep on this one if you’re into resinous/incense fragrances. 🙌🏻

Fucking amazing. If you like iris, incense and leather then this is something that you absolutely must try. This is dry, smoky and edgy but it’s not confrontational, it’s supple, creamy and almost chocolate-y. At the risk of over simplifying things, I’d say that this is a bit like a blend between something like Dior Homme Intense and Ombre Leather, but with a wonderful ambery sweetness and lots of incense smoke, and the way the smoke plays with the lipsticky iris is absolutely outrageous, it puts in a league of its own.

I bought the Miller Harris sampler from Anthropologie, and, IMO, Étui Noir stands out amongst the 8 featured. As soon as I sprayed it on myself this morning, I was transported to my childhood and the souqs of Saudi Arabia. I know that oud is not listed as one of the notes, but maybe it's the incense I'm smelling. Regardless, I am going to purchase the largest size available, since I love it That much. It doesn't give me a headache whatsoever, and after 8+ hrs., I can still smell it.

This fragrance is fenomenal to my nose. Mysterious and signature smell-worthy, easily a unisex perfume. Fits a confident, slightly cold/distant type, so I would normally wear it on the days I feel either 100% on my "A-game" or when I'm maybe not quite on top but trying to "fake-it-till-Imake-it". Most questions I get about what I'm wearing, is when I have this on. A very, very successful blind buy. Definitely one I will keep repurchasing.

It’s a nice fragrance (didn’t have the wow effect for me yet, I’ll wait and come back to this). It’s smells like jo malone myrrh and tonka beans to me, I don’t know why because those note aren’t not listed here. Tonka beans and I : we are not friends. Grapefruit, tonka beans, rhubarb, whiskey and strong violet note; kill me. Maybe this will grow on me. I like the sillage, but getting nauseous if I get my nose closer to the spot I sprayed

It's the most beautiful, harmonious, wearable leather I know. If animalic or rough leather perfumes are "too much" for you, while soft leathers like Cuir Cordoba or Cuir Velours are "not enough", that one is perfect compromise. Longevity is great, I feel soft sophisticated leathery base even after 8 hours. Need to note I'm not fan of incense, but here it's so masterfully mixed with other notes, it doesn't bother me.

This is in my Top 3 favourite fragrances in my collection. I once walked into a MH boutique and it was the first one I smelled and that was it, no need to smell the others, I’d found the one! It ticks all the right boxes for me. Smokey, leather, incense. Both gothic and grungy. I wore this on a cold winters day in Lille, France and it takes me back right there. Night and day. Unapologetically androgynous.

Gorgeous leather fragrance but I get an Amber feel more feminine than masculine. Very sexy & powerful fragrance. I love to wear this when I want a powerful office fragrance. Mature & seductive scent - I can imagine Samantha from SATC wearing this fragrance! 10/10 the equivalent of wearing a classic pant suit. Would be equally beautiful for after work drinks / date night fragrance

Nice surprise. Very sofisticated and elegant leathery scent on it’s own terms. Not another Tuscan Leather clon or followers as Acqua di Parma Leather or some stuff from Atelier Cologne. Smart top notch leather box in wooden cabinet with cigars. No citrusy or raspberry notes with barely perceptible smoke. Very approachable but not banal at all. I’m waiting for my bottle.

I’ve never been a huge fan of iris dominant scents, and that’s how this one starts out on me, however, here, I enjoy it a lot. As with most Miller-Harris scents this one is aromatic. After the dry down, the soft leather and incense comes through and I love it. It’s soft spicy, very pretty, but unisex. This is so far my favorite from this brand.

I adore this scent. It's splendidly dark and unisex - mixing oud, leather, powdery notes and vanilla in a glorious cloud. The iris and vetiver keep it interesting, but everything is suspended in perfect equilibrium. A little sweet, a little spicy. It is the very best scent I've found to wear with a leather jacket.

Delicious and very unique scent! It sillages beautifully and is perfect for the colder seasons. I love the sweetness it carries.. such a beautifully blended Incense Leather and Iris scent. My favourite Incense scent by far - all the good bits with none of the funk. Beautiful fragrance!

Watch out! Apply with caution. This is powerful juice. I am enjoying my second wearing MUCH more than my first. This time, one gentle spray to the inside of each wrist. The incense is strong in this one, and with a light application I find it approachable, warm, and more-ish.

Very beautiful sweet leather which later give way to patchouli. Patchouli appears on hand and not on shirt. It is not very strong and I like that. For comparison, Seminalis and Kobraa have much stronger patchouli hangover if sprayed abundantly.

In the beginning its a powerful blast of fruit, soft leather and iris. The incense is smooth and give the fragrance a little smokiness through the drydown. This is not in your face leather. It's an easy to wear fragrance. Love it!

Wow, this is a hidden gem indeed.Blind buy and I am very impressed. It has a sweet oudy smell that is utterly unique.I get a rosy smoky smell after 30 mins or so. Overall this is a must have.

This is definitely not for everyone - my partner tells me I smell like vegetables when I wear this - but I'm in love. Smoky peppery leathery flowery powdery sweet. Best on a cold night.

Old leather jacket and smoky incense. Very moody, dark with a strong gothic vibe. Buy this if your favourite colour is black. Spray with caution - it is very strong!

Cozy, warm winter smell, can definitely smell the leather, amber and patchouli from the beginning. The tangerine is also present. Good longevity.

Delicate, smoky and exquisite leathery smell. It can be rather owerwelming at times, thus not everyday perfume. Great work from Miller Harris.

A smokey resinous honey scent. I can't wait to be rocking it this winter.

Bel Ami's dirty little sister ... Glorious!

You’ve just finished eating Thanksgiving dinner. You wore stretchy pants to accommodate your fullness. There’s a lot of food smells in the air but your uncle’s pipe tobacco is dominating. And that’s what this perfume reminds me of: a full deep scent that you can really only pull off a few times a year.... or else you might explode. That said, I do like it. Of course it’s a Miller Harris, so it’s very natural, well blended and falls squarely into the niche bucket. If I hadn’t looked at the note breakdown here I would have said that tobacco is the star but I think that’s the combination of the suede and incense notes. There is a sweet, smoky element to Etui Noir. Opening is deep and mysterious, then it turns to birch, vetiver and styrax in the drydown. Sometimes reviewers will say “interesting” for lack of a better word; but here that is the exact description I would use for Etui Noir. With extreme performance, you’ll need a long hot shower to give this scent a reason to leave. Kind of like how I feel after the relatives have left: I love them but I only need to visit with them once or twice a year. Same with Etui Noir.

I don’t usually go for leather dominate scents, however I find Etui Noir to be very intriguing and beautiful. The opening is very sweet & intense, the fruitiness smells great. The dry down for me is the magical part; the leather accord is present but it’s in the distance, giving some pizzazz to the powdery, sweetness of the iris. The combination of vetiver & leather can sometimes be too rugged (for my taste), but not in this fragrance - it’s just right. The opening is ‘accessible’ but I think the dry down is slightly more intriguing. Perhaps not for everyone, but I doubt anyone who catches a whiff of this would dislike it. I’ve tested this day/night, home, work, dressed up/down - it’s very versatile (but works best when dressed at least a little smarter). Need a few more wearings to decide if it’s right for me, as I only buy FB of fragrances that I love these days. It’s growing on me though, and I only enjoy it more and more with each wearing. The dry down after 3-4 hours does lean slightly mature; that doesn’t bother me but it could dictate when/how you might want to wear this.

I am kinda surprised that this didn't come off more masculine considering the note breakdown, this stuff is straight unisex, I could see myself wearing this in a business casual attire, but I could also see my girlfriend wearing this in a nice sweater, because It's perfectly balanced IMHO. It's also got great performance lasting 8 hrs and having mild to moderate projection which is perfect for this scent. I'm having a tough time with describing how it smells: Smooth and buttery it's backed by a just as smooth leather, with just a hint of Vetiver in the background to give a bit of a green tinge. As it begins to dry down the incense becomes more prominent, adding a nice smokiness to the leather. It's unique yet eerily familiar in smell, and I think it will be fairly mass appealing. This stuff is honestly a masterpiece of niche perfumery, taking overtly masculine notes and blending them with iris to balance out the sexual orientation of the fragrance if such a thing exists lol.

Very suave and well composed, but not very exciting or unique. Incense-y benzoin with a certain powdery leathery woody backbone, not identical by any means, but within the realm of Chergui but somewhat darker with more leather. Not what people would call a 'screamer' (which in my world is not something desirable) but the longevity seems very solid. It has a pleasant balance between, bright powder, spice, balsamic sweetness, and bitter vegetal woody leather. As i have mentioned before, this whole line has obvious filler fixatives in the base, which render the drydown kind of dissonant and boring, but in this one the amberwood compound actually makes sense in the balsamic smoky context. If I were to buy one from the line it would probably be this one.

I get ombre leather meets dior homme vibee sprinkled with nuit de feu inspiration. That beinf said, Etui Noir and Alexandria Fragrances ars 90-95% the same. Its leather, iris and smoked resinous warmth. Nothing ground breaking. Its something Ive smelt before in variations. For this kind of smell I would get Ombre Leather, but if you want a more smoky take, Etui Noir or Alexandria Fragrances Untethered. Untethered offers much more sillage and longevity with better pricepoint. Do I enjoy Etui Noir? Absolutely. Its a DNA I have smelt many times before that I enjoy but its nothing new. To me its just a smokier Ombre Leather. Next to AF Untethered, I cant tell a difference. But its simply not different enough for me to justify buying a bottle.

This is wonderfully unisex, and a great way to round out an outfit; I imagine gives a little edge to whatever you are wearing. and it is very wearable! Smells soft, dry, and supple: this is a subtle, approachable suede leather. I think this is the kind of scent you might wear a lot more than you expect when you get a bottle - but haven't made up my mind if i'm interested in that yet. This is such a solid fragrance, well-blended, but it doesn't blow my mind. I'm enjoying my tester though. I do have some issues with performance - on me this stays super super close to the skin. I don't need massive projection or sillage, but this I only smell when I put my nose to my arm. Maybe I need to try layering, as someone suggests below?

I smell STRONG davana in the opening, the type that smells like booze, very reminiscent of the davana in Coeur Couronné by Hervé Gambs. Underneath there is a designery iris (good quality but à la Armani Code/JPG etc), alongside resins, incense and patchouli (all smooth edges, again very designery). It's very sweet, which could be a no-no for me, I'll have to wear it more to find out. The leather is the most interesting part to me, but I have to wade through the candy smog to get to it. The more it goes on, the more it smells like a Le Mâle flanker in fact.

This starts off very incensy, smoky and leathery, which I love as I gravitate towards those kinds of scents. However, within about 45 mins that settles down considerably, and it becomes quite woody and powdery - dominated by the iris, woods and vetiver. It is still nice (quite buttery and silky) but definitely more subdued. Personally I really dislike iris, so even though it’s not a powder bomb, it’s powdery enough to prevent me buying a FB. If it stayed like the initial spray the whole way though I think I’d like it more.

Smoke, leather, amber, vetiver, all very smooth. I could see this being worn by an elegant, educated gentleman, dressed with a bit of flair, with a twinkle in his eye. Can't help comparing to Timbuktu, which this sits behind because of that gorgeous, lingering mango note. A deeper, challenging, more impactful scent (if you like the notes) is Encre Noire A LExtreme. I enjoy this scent but would likely use it infrequently, my 10ml travel sample is enough. 3/5

I wanted to like but for me the incense just was a bit too much and I just kept smelling what I cant bear in Tuscan leather. Shame because I love miller Harris. I will probably layer it. Update: I’m now enjoying this a lot more. I think it needs a bit of time on me and then it becomes softer and rather honeyed. I’ve worn it today layered with L’air de rien and it worked for me!

The iris comes across vibrantly floral, unisex, and almost pink-fruity like you see in the recent Givenchy Gentleman EDT from 2017. 3D crystalline but also somewhat chapsticky. This becomes supplanted by a somewhat delicate leather accord. Pretty good. It is surprisingly light and ethereal for its note listing. Operates on a lighter register than I would’ve imagined. 7.8/10

Very well blended, elegant spicy amber, I am surprised black pepper is not listed in the notes. Difficult to pick out individual notes, this liquid is smooth black silk. Sexy and elegant. This reminds me of something I can’t just put my finger on..later. A very lovely fragrance indeed that somehow turns even richer and smoother over the next couple of hours as it develops.

This fragrance personally smells like Bentley Intense for my nose but doesn’t contain the rum and whiskey notes but if I was to chose between these two fragrances I’d choose Bentley as it it cheaper, last longer and performs better

Ambery, leathery, masculine fragrance that goes perfect in cold weather, especially with a leather jacket. I like it.

A very pleasant leather fragrance. Opens very dark, with some tar and iris (giving an impression of a Fahrenheit-ish violet), and Givaudan's widely used rasperry/leather accord (TF Tuscan Leather & co.). That said, it is better rounded and way more refined than TL. The drydown is a combo of smoky birch tar and generic amber accord, and at that stage, it is shares strong similarities with Memo Irish Leather and Trudon Bruma. Happy with my purchase, even if I wished it performed better (but this is a criticism valid for most of MH's fragrances). Fall evenings/Winter days, 25+, unisex leaning feminine.

Elegant soft leather and iris with a touch of birch and resins. Smells similar to Irish Leather but sweeter. I used to love this one, but after a few wearings, I realized I just couldn’t handle the dry down anymore. It’s one of those fragrances that is ruined by the dry down. On me, the dry down begins to radiate heat, becoming a bit screechy, and too sweet for my liking. The opening and mid are exceptional, but a dry down is what matters most to me since it’s the overall scent I’ll be carrying with me, throughout the day. If you'd like a less sweet alternative, try Irish Leather.

The first blast is a hoot — but once that striking first impression wears off, this stays too long at the (garden) party. I could get along famously with this if not for the iris, which makes it too feminine, gives that slightly queasy sensation of sitting too close to a days-old bouquet. I'd prefer more incense, less iris and bergamot. (Then again, that would basically be Comme des Garçons 2 Male.) As it is, nearly likeable but too cacophonous. This perfumer may have something special in store for the future, though.

Étui Noir EdP by Miller Harris smells good but doesn't wow me. Iris and incense here are more dominant than other notes upon spraying on my skin. If I keep on sniffing my wrist, I know I will get a headache. But when iris starts to diminish, Étui Noir becomes more interesting and more enjoyable in the base than in the top. I am on the fence about this one - hate the headache-inducing iris but enjoy the dry-down.

The smoky, woody opening doesn't last, unfortunately. But that would make this fragrance more masculine. On me it developes into ambery leather, on the sweet side. I like its cosy side, that it's easy to wear and warm. I enjoy the scent, but doesn't make me ecstatic. Very good longevity.

Romantic, dreamy, and softly buttery iris. It’s like a wildflower bouquet basking in sunlight, framed by sheer pink curtains. The patchouli brings just enough edge—like the trace of a half-smoked cigarette resting on the windowsill. Poetic, but grounded.

What was meant to be a leather-incense-floral combo that fails to deliver what it set out to do. Incense takes over and dominates everything. I get almost no leather and a sort of floral-vegetable-spicy note that is kinda cheap. My main problem is the incense note itself, it is sour. Not sure how that is even possible, but if one compares to let's say the type of incense in a Lutens perfume (which is beautiful and seductive), then this is one is more like something that caught fire and stinks of smoke and ashes. Awful. If you are going to make perfume for an utilitarian purpose (i.e. for office wear etc.) then make it so, put it on the label, and charge less (cause that’s fair). But if you are going to claim to create something that transcends mere utility and enters the sphere of art, then presumably it needs to do more, and transport its user to a higher plane. If you are going to do leather make it rich, incense make it seductive, florals make them sharp and uplifting. Otherwise there’s plenty of scents out there that do a much better job. Another irritation about this house, if one half of the name goes off and sets up a new perfume brand, should they still maintain its existing name?

Aromachemical galore. Etui Noir is dominated by an overpowering cashmere wood/silvamber note or something of the likes. There is however a velvety suede note next to smoky woods reminiscent of Santal Royal and the typical subtle Miller Harris dustiness I enjoy so much. If it wasn't for the overly synthetic nose burning ambery wood, it wood be a lovely fragrance with enormous sillage and longevity.

Ambery incense - black leather lady handbag filled with makeup items that populated its space and aroma. Not modern, but not grandma-style. Iris is a bit pungent and a bit of a mistake from my point of view.

not sure... think it smells more birch & iris than leather&incense..quite dry too, maybe that's why it falls short...(also aware that the leather note is achieved sometimes using birch)